If your sportive isn’t until later on in the summer you can still complete this training schedule, then adapt it so that it’s 10 percent more demanding and run through it again, continuing to focus on your areas of weakness until four weeks before your event. Only then should you move on to the final four-week programme to get you at your start line ready to rock.

If you’re going to clock the best time possible in your sportive, you need to get your food and drink sorted – and that starts now. Getting it spot on can take several weeks because your needs won’t be exactly the same as anyone else’s.

How to stay properly hydrated

You might have read that you should drink 400-900ml of fluid an hour while riding – but that’s a big old band. You can work out more precisely what you need at varying intensities and in different weather conditions by following this simple process over several rides: